• Wikisimpsons needs more Featured Article, Picture, Quote, Episode and Comprehensive article nominations!
  • Wikisimpsons has a Discord server! Click here for your invite! Join to talk about the wiki, Simpsons and Tapped Out news, or just to talk to other users.
  • Make an account! It's easy, free, and your work on the wiki can be attributed to you.
TwitterFacebookDiscord

Difference between revisions of "Brother from the Same Planet"

Wikisimpsons - The Simpsons Wiki
m
(32 intermediate revisions by 11 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
 +
{{Featured episode}}
 
{{Tab}}  
 
{{Tab}}  
 
{{EpisodePrevNext|Selma's Choice|I Love Lisa}}
 
{{EpisodePrevNext|Selma's Choice|I Love Lisa}}
{{episode
+
{{quote|I know you're mad at me right now, and I'm kinda mad too... I mean, we could sit here and try to figure out "who forgot to pick up who" till the cows come home. But let's just say we're both wrong and that'll be that.|[[Homer]]}}
 
+
{{Episode
|image = han.jpg
+
|name= Brother from the Same Planet
|Episode Number = 73
+
|image= Brother from the Same Planet.png
|productionCode = 9F12
+
|number= 73
|originalAirdate = February 4, 1993
+
|season=4
|blackboardText = "The Principal's toupee is not a frisbee"
+
|snumber=14
|couchGag = The rear wall rotates, taking the family to another room and leaving an empty couch behind
+
|prodcode= 9F12
|specialGuestVoices = [[Phil Hartman]] as Tom
+
|airdate= February 4, [[1993]]
|Written By = [[Jon Vitti]]
+
|blackboard= "The Principal's toupee is not a frisbee"
|Directed By = [[Jeffrey Lynch]]
+
|couchgag= The rear wall rotates, taking the family to another room and leaving an empty couch behind
 +
|guests= [[Phil Hartman]] as [[Eddie Muntz]] and {{ap|Tom|Brother from the Same Planet}}
 +
|showrunner=[[Al Jean]]<br>[[Mike Reiss]]
 +
|writer= [[Jon Vitti]]
 +
|director= [[Jeffrey Lynch]]
 +
|DVD features= yes
 
}}
 
}}
{{Quote|Trab pu kcip. TRAB PU KCIP!|[[Milhouse]]}}
 
  
"'''Brother from the Same Planet'''" is the fourteenth episode of [[Season 4]]. It originally aired on February 4, 1993. The episode was written by [[Jon Vitti]] and directed by [[Jeffrey Lynch]].
+
"'''Brother from the Same Planet'''" is the fourteenth episode of [[Season 4]] of ''[[The Simpsons]]'' and the seventy-third episode overall. It originally aired on February 4, [[1993]]. The episode was written by [[Jon Vitti]] and directed by [[Jeffrey Lynch]]. It guest stars [[Phil Hartman]] as [[Eddie Muntz]] and {{ap|Tom|Brother from the Same Planet}}.
  
[[Bart]], fed up with [[Homer]]'s neglect, joins the Big Brother program posing as an abandoned child so he can hang out with a better father figure. Homer finds out about Bart's cool, new friend, [[Tom]], and exacts his revenge by donating his time as a big brother to a real orphan named [[Pepi]].
+
== Synopsis ==
 +
{{Desc|[[Bart]], fed up with [[Homer]]'s neglect, joins the Big Brother program posing as an abandoned child so he can hang out with a better father figure. Homer finds out about Bart's cool, new friend, {{ap|Tom|Brother from the Same Planet}}, and exacts his revenge by donating his time as a big brother to a real orphan named [[Pepi]].}}
  
 
== Plot ==
 
== Plot ==
[[File:Thumbnail.aspx.jpg|thumb|left|160px|Tom beats up Homer]]
+
After soccer practice, Bart refuses to go to the theater with his friends because Homer is picking him up. However, at home, Homer forgets about picking Bart up as he is distracted by ''[[Wheel of Fortune]]''. As Bart waits, he ends up covered in mud during a storm. As Homer is at home, multiple things attempt to remind him to pick up Bart. However, he doesn't get any of the hints. Homer then goes to take a bath, where he falls asleep and dreams about finding Bart dead at the soccer field. Homer wakes up and finally rushes out the house to pick Bart up. When Homer gets to Bart, Bart is angry at Homer for forgetting about him.
After playing soccer, [[Bart]] waits for [[Homer]] to pick him up. At the Simpson residence, [[Marge]] reminds Homer to go and get Bart on her way out the door--Homer says "I'm on my way", but unknown to Marge he is saying this because he is watching ''Wheel of Fortune'' and the exposed letters spell out "I'M ON MY WA*". Homer was so focused on the game show that he didn't hear what Marge said, and he forgets to pick up Bart. Bart is left alone as a storm approaches. Many occurrences at home remind Homer that he was meant to do something, but he cannot recall what. When Homer finally remembers after a dream about seeing Bart's skeleton on a soccer field, he rushes out to pick up Bart (who is very angry) and tries to put the issue behind them. But Bart is not buying.
 
  
When they return home, Bart watches TV when a television commercial for a mentor program called Bigger Brothers comes up. This gives him an idea and he goes to the Bigger Brothers Agency disguising himself with accent as a brave young boy whose father left him six years ago. Afterwards, Bart is assigned a big brother called Tom whom Bart first meets when he comes to school to pick Bart up by letting him ride on the back of his motorcycle. Later on, Bart and Tom meet up for Tomato Day at the Springfield Stadium (the purpose of the tomatoes is revealed when a recruiter for the Springfield Communist Party is introduced on the field before the start of the game; he is pelted with tomatoes before he can begin his speech, and remarks that it is at least better than "Dart Day"). Afterwards, they go to lift weights and watch ''Ren and Stimpy''. Eventually, Homer finds out about Bart's Bigger Brother and angrily confronts him about the issue. Homer decides to go to the Bigger Brothers Agency to get revenge by being assigned a replacement son. There, he is assigned the child Pepe (whom he calls Pepsi for a brief period). Homer shows Pepe the garage door, "a wonder of modern technology" and then the two look at the stars together.
+
That night, Bart is watching ''[[Tuesday Night Live]]''. During the ad break, a commercial for the [[Bigger Brothers Agency]] plays. Bart then realizes that he could use this as a way to get back at Homer. Bart goes to the agency and tells them a sob story about how his father abandoned him six years ago. Bart is then assigned a "Bigger Brother", {{ap|Tom|Brother from the Same Planet}}. After school, Tom picks up Bart on his motorcycle. Meanwhile, at home, [[Marge]] finds a large phone bill to something called the [[Corey Hotline]]. After questioning Homer about it, the two of them realize that it was [[Lisa]] calling the number. Marge makes Lisa promise to stop making the phone calls and Lisa tells her that they won't be billed for another call.
  
Meanwhile back at the Simpsons household, Marge finds a $378.53 phone bill for calls made to The Corey Hotline. Because of this, Marge headed up to talk to Lisa who is hiding in her room, as the entrance is decorated with a Corey poster. Marge tells Lisa that she understands what Lisa is going through and that when she was a girl she had a crush on Bobby Sherman. This revelation causes Lisa to laugh uproariously. Even so, in the end Lisa promises her mother "...you'll never be billed for another call." However, Lisa continues to make calls to the hotline from such places as Doctor Hibbert's office and from a phone at Springfield Elementary. After Principal Skinner catches her calling the hotline, he calls Marge. In Skinner's office, Marge suggests that Lisa try to go until 12 o'clock that evening without calling the hotline; if she can do so, she will have conquered her addiction. Lisa is eventually able to make it after a struggle.
+
The next day, Tom takes Bart to a baseball game where Bart tells Tom that his father is a drunken gambler. Tom then threatens to hit Homer if he ever meets him. Meanwhile, Lisa goes to the [[Springfield General Hospital|hospital]] where she has eardrops applied to her. Whilst waiting for the eardrops to settle, Lisa uses the hospital phone to call the Corey Hotline. Back at Tom's house, Bart and Tom work out together before watching an episode of ''{{ap|The Ren & Stimpy Show|TV series}}''. At school the next day, Bart shows off an experimental weapon, the "Neural Disrupter", which Tom gave him, which he uses to shoot [[Martin]] with. Meanwhile, Lisa continues with her addiction to the Corey Hotline, calling it from [[Grampa]]'s room in the [[Springfield Retirement Castle]] and from the [[Springfield Elementary School|school]]. When Lisa was making the calls from the school, she got caught by [[Principal Skinner]].
  
Elsewhere, Homer takes Pepe to Marine World to attend Big Brothers Day. Tom also takes Bart there. After Homer runs into Bart, Tom tells Bart not to talk to strangers and begins to lead him away from Homer. Homer states that he is Bart's father. As Bart has told Tom many false stories of Homer being a terrible parent, Tom halts and asks Homer with barely-restrained anger "His father, the ''drunken gambler?''" Homer instinctively and cheerfully replies "That's right, and who might you be?" Tom punches Homer in the face, beginning a brawl between the two men that rages across Springfield. In the end, Tom punches Homer which causes him to bend painfully backwards over a hydrant. Homer ends up in a stretcher and Bart--who feels guilty for indirectly causing the fight--gets ready to ride with him to the hospital. Tom is left without a child to take care of and Pepe without a Big Brother. Seeing this, Bart makes an obvious conclusion, telling them that Tom should become Pepe's big brother. Tom and Pepe agree and start hanging out with each other. Afterwards, Bart and Homer reconcile and the episode ends with them sitting on the couch, Homer teaching Bart how to fight dirty (like he did with Tom).
+
As Bart and Tom are paragliding over Springfield, Bart starts to feel guilty about spending time with Tom, thinking that he is pulling Tom away from other kids who need him more. Homer notices Tom and Bart in the sky whilst looking through some binoculars and then confronts Bart about it when he gets home. Homer decides to get even with Bart by going to the Bigger Brothers Agency and taking a kid himself. When Homer starts to have doubts about doing this, [[Pepi]] walks into the building and Homer decides to take him. Back at school, Marge and Lisa meet with Principal Skinner to talk about Lisa's phone calls. Marge tells Lisa that she has to stop them and if she can make it to midnight without making another call, she'll be over making them.
 +
 
 +
Homer and Pepi start to spend time together, with the two of them watching TV and stargazing together. That same night, Lisa is trying to resist making a call to the Corey Hotline. She almost gives in and calls the number, but instead listens to the phone telling her what time it is. Marge finds Lisa like this and is proud of her for getting over her addiction. The next morning, Bart asks Homer where his skateboard is, and Homer reveals that he gave it to Pepi, revealing to Bart that he has joined the Bigger Brothers program.
 +
 
 +
The next day, the Bigger Brothers Agency holds an event at [[Marine World]]. Homer and Pepi attend the event, not knowing that Bart and Tom were already there. When Bart and Homer meet up, Homer tells Tom that he's Bart's father. This causes Tom to punch Homer and the two of them start to fight. This fight goes all over Springfield until Homer ends up bent backwards over a fire hydrant. As Homer goes to hospital, he and Bart make up. Bart then sets Tom and Pepi up together, realizing that they need each other. After Homer gets out of the hospital, he teaches Bart some of the moves he made during the fight with Tom.
  
 
== Production ==
 
== Production ==
According to DVD commentary, the entire part where Krusty is on ''Tuesday Night Live'' was Jon Vitti's way of criticizing ''Saturday Night Live'' at the time of the episode, which was being criticized for having overlong sketches with thin joke premises (and criticisms of this kind for SNL continue to this day), which explains Krusty's line about The Big Ear Family sketch going on for twelve more minutes, even though the joke's punchline was well established. The sequence originally had a longer version of the ''Tuesday Night Live'' band playing into the commercial break, but cut it because he didn't want to come off as being bitter (Vitti, along with writing this episode of The Simpsons, was a writer on ''Saturday Night Live'' during the 1985-1986 season along with fellow Simpson writers, George Meyer and John Swartzwelder).
+
According to showrunner [[Al Jean]], the episode never had a good reading or screening. However, when the show aired, people thought the episode was great.<ref name="Jean">{{Com|Jean, Al|Brother from the Same Planet|Fourth|(2004).|link=Al Jean}}</ref> Writer [[Jon Vitti]] was disappointed with the initial reaction to the episode, and credited it partially due to the amount of stage direction in the script. The episode was also being held back because they wanted to get [[Tom Cruise]] to guest star.<ref name="Vitti">{{Com|Vitti, Jon|Brother from the Same Planet|Fourth|(2004).|link=Jon Vitti}}</ref> The episode was written for Tom Cruise, because the writers had been told by [[James L. Brooks]] that Tom Cruise wanted to guest star on the show.<ref name="Jean"/> The role of Tom was written full of references to Tom Cruise and his movies, however, he refused to guest star.<ref name="Vitti"/> [[Phil Hartman]] then took over the role of Tom.<ref name="Jean"/>
 +
 
 +
The episode had multiple scenes in the episode that were added to pad for time. This includes a reused scene from "[[Three Men and a Comic Book]]" of Homer in the rumpus room, and a scene that was frozen as Homer ran out the house naked, where [[Ned Flanders]] speaks.<ref name="Jean"/> The ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' parody originally had the band playing for longer, but the scene was cut down because Jon Vitti didn't want to come across as bitter due to having a bad year whilst writing for them.<ref name="Vitti"/> Pepi's design was based on Dondi from the comic strip ''{{W|Dondi}}''.<ref name="Jean"/>
 +
 
 +
For the ''Ren & Stimpy'' parody, the producers actually got authorization from {{W|Nickelodeon}} to do the parody. However, they added a lot of stipulations, which ended up with the parody just feeling like ''Ren & Stimpy''.<ref name="Jean"/> A layout artist from ''Ren & Stimpy'' went to the studio and did all the layouts for the parody.<ref name="Lynch">{{Com|Lynch, Jeffrey|Brother from the Same Planet|Fourth|(2004).|link=Jeffrey Lynch}}</ref>
 +
 
 +
The scene where Homer taunts the dolphin is a callback to the short "[[Zoo Story]]". Homer's facial expressions are pulled from the sheets of the original short as the animators didn't know how to get those expressions.<ref name="Lynch"/> The fight between Tom and Homer was inspired by ''{{W|The Quiet Man}}'' after the ending of the episode needed a rewrite.<ref name="Jean"/>
  
Also mentioned in the commentary is that the role of Tom was written with [[wikipedia:Tom_Cruise|Tom Cruise]] in mind. However, after being repeatedly turned down by Cruise, the producers went with Phil Hartman.
+
== Reception ==
 +
Nathan Rabin of ''{{W|The A.V. Club}}'' says that "Brother from the Same Planet" "deals hilariously and poignantly with [...] Homer trying to prove himself as a father and a man in the face of his family's perpetual disappointment." He also says that the episode ends "on a note both dark and tender".<ref>[https://www.avclub.com/the-simpsons-classic-brother-from-the-same-planet-1798173643 The A.V. Club - "The Simpsons (Classic): "Brother From The Same Planet""]</ref>
  
 +
As of February [[2022]], the episode has an 8.2 rating on {{W|IMDb}}.<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0764185/ IMDb - "Brother from the Same Planet"]</ref>
 +
 +
== References ==
 +
{{Reflist}}
 +
 +
{{Images|ep=yes}}
 
{{Season 4}}
 
{{Season 4}}
[[es:Brother from the Same Planet]]
+
 
[[pt:Irmão de ocasião]]
 
[[Category:Season 4]]
 
[[Category:Episodes]]
 
 
[[Category:1993]]
 
[[Category:1993]]
 
[[Category:Homer episodes]]
 
[[Category:Homer episodes]]
 
[[Category:Bart episodes]]
 
[[Category:Bart episodes]]
 +
[[Category:Episodes written by Jon Vitti]]
 +
[[Category:Episodes directed by Jeffrey Lynch]]
 +
 +
[[sv:Brother from the Same Planet]]

Revision as of 08:13, May 1, 2022

Season 4 Episode
072 "Selma's Choice"
073
"Brother from the Same Planet"
"I Love Lisa" 074
"I know you're mad at me right now, and I'm kinda mad too... I mean, we could sit here and try to figure out "who forgot to pick up who" till the cows come home. But let's just say we're both wrong and that'll be that."
Homer
"Brother from the Same Planet"
Brother from the Same Planet.png
Episode Information
Episode number: 73
Season number: S4 E14
Production code: 9F12
Original airdate: February 4, 1993
Chalkboard gag: "The Principal's toupee is not a frisbee"
Couch gag: The rear wall rotates, taking the family to another room and leaving an empty couch behind
Guest star(s): Phil Hartman as Eddie Muntz and Tom
Showrunner(s): Al Jean
Mike Reiss
Written by: Jon Vitti
Directed by: Jeffrey Lynch
DVD features


"Brother from the Same Planet" is the fourteenth episode of Season 4 of The Simpsons and the seventy-third episode overall. It originally aired on February 4, 1993. The episode was written by Jon Vitti and directed by Jeffrey Lynch. It guest stars Phil Hartman as Eddie Muntz and Tom.

Synopsis

"Bart, fed up with Homer's neglect, joins the Big Brother program posing as an abandoned child so he can hang out with a better father figure. Homer finds out about Bart's cool, new friend, Tom, and exacts his revenge by donating his time as a big brother to a real orphan named Pepi."


Plot

After soccer practice, Bart refuses to go to the theater with his friends because Homer is picking him up. However, at home, Homer forgets about picking Bart up as he is distracted by Wheel of Fortune. As Bart waits, he ends up covered in mud during a storm. As Homer is at home, multiple things attempt to remind him to pick up Bart. However, he doesn't get any of the hints. Homer then goes to take a bath, where he falls asleep and dreams about finding Bart dead at the soccer field. Homer wakes up and finally rushes out the house to pick Bart up. When Homer gets to Bart, Bart is angry at Homer for forgetting about him.

That night, Bart is watching Tuesday Night Live. During the ad break, a commercial for the Bigger Brothers Agency plays. Bart then realizes that he could use this as a way to get back at Homer. Bart goes to the agency and tells them a sob story about how his father abandoned him six years ago. Bart is then assigned a "Bigger Brother", Tom. After school, Tom picks up Bart on his motorcycle. Meanwhile, at home, Marge finds a large phone bill to something called the Corey Hotline. After questioning Homer about it, the two of them realize that it was Lisa calling the number. Marge makes Lisa promise to stop making the phone calls and Lisa tells her that they won't be billed for another call.

The next day, Tom takes Bart to a baseball game where Bart tells Tom that his father is a drunken gambler. Tom then threatens to hit Homer if he ever meets him. Meanwhile, Lisa goes to the hospital where she has eardrops applied to her. Whilst waiting for the eardrops to settle, Lisa uses the hospital phone to call the Corey Hotline. Back at Tom's house, Bart and Tom work out together before watching an episode of The Ren & Stimpy Show. At school the next day, Bart shows off an experimental weapon, the "Neural Disrupter", which Tom gave him, which he uses to shoot Martin with. Meanwhile, Lisa continues with her addiction to the Corey Hotline, calling it from Grampa's room in the Springfield Retirement Castle and from the school. When Lisa was making the calls from the school, she got caught by Principal Skinner.

As Bart and Tom are paragliding over Springfield, Bart starts to feel guilty about spending time with Tom, thinking that he is pulling Tom away from other kids who need him more. Homer notices Tom and Bart in the sky whilst looking through some binoculars and then confronts Bart about it when he gets home. Homer decides to get even with Bart by going to the Bigger Brothers Agency and taking a kid himself. When Homer starts to have doubts about doing this, Pepi walks into the building and Homer decides to take him. Back at school, Marge and Lisa meet with Principal Skinner to talk about Lisa's phone calls. Marge tells Lisa that she has to stop them and if she can make it to midnight without making another call, she'll be over making them.

Homer and Pepi start to spend time together, with the two of them watching TV and stargazing together. That same night, Lisa is trying to resist making a call to the Corey Hotline. She almost gives in and calls the number, but instead listens to the phone telling her what time it is. Marge finds Lisa like this and is proud of her for getting over her addiction. The next morning, Bart asks Homer where his skateboard is, and Homer reveals that he gave it to Pepi, revealing to Bart that he has joined the Bigger Brothers program.

The next day, the Bigger Brothers Agency holds an event at Marine World. Homer and Pepi attend the event, not knowing that Bart and Tom were already there. When Bart and Homer meet up, Homer tells Tom that he's Bart's father. This causes Tom to punch Homer and the two of them start to fight. This fight goes all over Springfield until Homer ends up bent backwards over a fire hydrant. As Homer goes to hospital, he and Bart make up. Bart then sets Tom and Pepi up together, realizing that they need each other. After Homer gets out of the hospital, he teaches Bart some of the moves he made during the fight with Tom.

Production

According to showrunner Al Jean, the episode never had a good reading or screening. However, when the show aired, people thought the episode was great.[1] Writer Jon Vitti was disappointed with the initial reaction to the episode, and credited it partially due to the amount of stage direction in the script. The episode was also being held back because they wanted to get Tom Cruise to guest star.[2] The episode was written for Tom Cruise, because the writers had been told by James L. Brooks that Tom Cruise wanted to guest star on the show.[1] The role of Tom was written full of references to Tom Cruise and his movies, however, he refused to guest star.[2] Phil Hartman then took over the role of Tom.[1]

The episode had multiple scenes in the episode that were added to pad for time. This includes a reused scene from "Three Men and a Comic Book" of Homer in the rumpus room, and a scene that was frozen as Homer ran out the house naked, where Ned Flanders speaks.[1] The Saturday Night Live parody originally had the band playing for longer, but the scene was cut down because Jon Vitti didn't want to come across as bitter due to having a bad year whilst writing for them.[2] Pepi's design was based on Dondi from the comic strip Dondi.[1]

For the Ren & Stimpy parody, the producers actually got authorization from Nickelodeon to do the parody. However, they added a lot of stipulations, which ended up with the parody just feeling like Ren & Stimpy.[1] A layout artist from Ren & Stimpy went to the studio and did all the layouts for the parody.[3]

The scene where Homer taunts the dolphin is a callback to the short "Zoo Story". Homer's facial expressions are pulled from the sheets of the original short as the animators didn't know how to get those expressions.[3] The fight between Tom and Homer was inspired by The Quiet Man after the ending of the episode needed a rewrite.[1]

Reception

Nathan Rabin of The A.V. Club says that "Brother from the Same Planet" "deals hilariously and poignantly with [...] Homer trying to prove himself as a father and a man in the face of his family's perpetual disappointment." He also says that the episode ends "on a note both dark and tender".[4]

As of February 2022, the episode has an 8.2 rating on IMDb.[5]

References


The Saga of Carl - title screen.png Wikisimpsons has a collection of images related to "Brother from the Same Planet".
Season 4 Episodes
Kamp Krusty A Streetcar Named Marge Homer the Heretic Lisa the Beauty Queen Treehouse of Horror III Itchy & Scratchy: The Movie Marge Gets a Job New Kid on the Block Mr. Plow Lisa's First Word Homer's Triple Bypass Marge vs. the Monorail Selma's Choice Brother from the Same Planet I Love Lisa Duffless Last Exit to Springfield So It's Come to This: A Simpsons Clip Show The Front Whacking Day Marge in Chains Krusty Gets Kancelled